Irish Jacks - Violet Meadows Farm / Susan Sarao

I have purchased 5 pups from Susan since 2004, 2 are from Ireland and 4 are from her own "personal" pets--Elvis, Poley, etc.. My first dog had a hernia requiring surgery (from Ireland), the second one from Poley was and is totally deaf--she offered me $300 discount if I kept the dog (which I did) off the $1800 purchase price. Two other dogs had hernias, one from Elvis was a major problem, and one came with Parvo which cost me $2300 in vet bills before I had the puppy even two weeks.

I am a very trusting person, but if there is a class action suit out there, I'd be in on it in a hurry. Don't know all the background of how she got found out, but I have been pleading with her for years to stand behind her dogs and to do the right thing!

Comments

I just want to say thank you to Keith, I too own a "Irish jack" mutt and fell for all the crap Susan Sarao was shoveling and was taken for my hard earned money. I waited two years before I got my puppy. It breaks my heart to think Cody comes from a puppy mill. I use to say to my husband something isn't right, someone must of mistreated him because he was so afraid of everything.
I was told I was first on the list for a black and tan pup and didn't even get the pick I wanted. I of course love Cody and wouldn't trade him for the world. When we picked Cody up you could hear other pups around the house, I just can't believe it been 31/2 years since we got Cody, and this person who says she loves this breed was always in it for the money.
I don't even know what to tell people when they ask me "What is your dog" and I thought I was getting a pure breed, VERY disappointed, people are just not honest these days. I paid lots of money for my puppy, just like everyone else and she would just pocket and the money it wasn't even a legal business. How do people like her get away with this? I guess because there are people like me who believe in others.

I was wondering why Keith was leaving and to know all this was going on, I would visit the site atleast once a day. I hope we can get the word out. so the shop she is starting up gets SHUT DOWN!
Robyn, in New Jersey

I have tried for years to educate the unsuspecting public so they would be better educated and spot a puppy farm, broker a mile away. I am sorry it took this long for people to wake up and actually start paying attention. And as well, I hope it changes the way people "shop" for their next puppy.

Someone mentioned that they contacted some of the "Irish" Jack Russell breeders out there and got either no responses or defensive ones. I have been saying for years that there are very few legitimate Irish Jack Russell Breeders ...so few I can count them on one hand. I am not surprised at all that many of them were not willing to discuss their practices openly.

Please, go to my website and READ the pages devoted to this topic... And then re-read again later, when you go hunting for your next puppy. The rules really apply to all breeds as there are people like this in every dog breed.

Keith, Thank you for taking a stand. My hat is off to you.

TO THOSE WISHING TO BAND TOGETHER: Go to the Attorney General for her state and file complaints, one right after the other. And as well send them a complaint with a list of all your names and contact info. I believe this is a good place to start. Wishing you all the very best.

I'm the webmaster for importedjacks.com (http://www.importedjacks.com), another breeder of irish jack russells. I think it's important for me to point out that not all irish jack russell terrier breeders are unethical, and they don't all simply import mass amounts of puppies from "puppy mills" in Ireland.

I think it's terrible that Susan Sarao engaged in the sorts of activities that are described in all of the above comments. Dogs are truly man's best friend and they should never be treated simply as some kind of money-making machine.

I wish everyone who happened to receive unhealthy jacks from irishjacks.com the best of luck going forward. If you have any questions about irish jacks (health-related, etc.) feel free to reach out to us at importedjacks.com (just fill out the contact form on any page and we'll try to answer your questions to the best of our abilities).

By the way, Keith - what you did was brave and noble. It's good to know that there are people like you out there who are looking out for all the puppies of the world.

As a person who knows both Susan and Keith personally, has spent a great deal of time with them, and has worked on many projects with both of them, I have inside knowledge of what went on here. Keith suffers from an acute case of grandiosity – he knows absolutely everything about absolutely nothing. Susan suffers from an acute case of generosity, tolerance and concern for all animals. You will never meet a kinder or more spiritual person than Susan. She sells puppies because she loves bringing joy into people’s lives, and because she truly believes that her puppies are the best of the best, which I can tell you are just that. She also bonds with every single puppy that comes into her shop. In the evenings, she sits in the kennel and plays for hours with every one individually.

Five years ago, she brought Keith into her home when he was destitute, and offered him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to utilize his talents, while paying him handsomely. Now that he is going through one of his many psychotic, manic episodes, he literally blackmails her, then sets out to destroy her. Everything he has posted here are downright lies. Why would clients be invited into her home if she had appalling conditions to hide? And I can assure you, she was never, ever, remiss about vaccinations and worming, nor did she ever sell a puppy knowingly that was sick. This is why there are various older dogs available. She cures them, at enormous expense. To say that her puppies are not well socialized, well, look at the comments by folks who are thrilled with the social skills that her puppies display. Unfortunately, you cannot read the vast majority of these testimonials, because Keith has robbed her of her website, a sure felony, after unsuccessfully blackmailing her. Future employers beware! Sure, Susan has some human frailties that many of us cope with, but nothing even close to the salacious lies that Keith is trying to convince others of.

As “office manager, ” he was constantly disappearing for days on end and letting his voicemail box fill up. Why? Drugs, perhaps? And this is what led to several of the complaints on this board. He would go for weeks without returning any phone calls, or answering any emails. He does not deserve to be called “noble.” He is a delusional, revenge seeking whackadoo, and you should not give anything he says any credence. I am so sorry that people are concerned about this totally fraudulent mess, made up and driven by someone so utterly sick and vindictive. Email me through the Complaints Board if you have any further questions.

All this anger toward Susan, I cannot join in. We bought our Irish Jack seven years ago from her and then another 5 years ago. I have nothing but good feeling towards Susan and found her to be helpful in many ways, regarding my dogs. As for some of the issues addressed here as complaints, Jack Russell pups come with dark faces and bodies as well as the tradition white body with the classic face we all know as a Jack. My friends here who are horse people, all told me that they remember when Jacks looked like my dog, short and barrel chested, before the breeding programs took over in America. As for Keith, he had no issues breeding his dog endlessly for profit, as I saw on the website. My guess is he is vindictive and without any ethics. I wish I were able to contact Susan to offer my support. I am sure more of her clients would feel the same if they knew what was going on here.